Keziah and Ibbi, two London kids who misbehave at school in the UK, sign up for a week at one of America's tough military academies. Will a spell at Extreme School be the making of them? 14-year-old Keziah runs away from her teachers when challenged, while 13-year-old Ibbi just likes to argue with them, and they both regularly land themselves in trouble for winding each other up. But the kids find out pretty quickly that this kind of behaviour won't be tolerated at the academy when they meet the school's commandant, Colonel Harris. The new recruits get a taste of military discipline immediately when the infamous First Sergeant Powell orders Ibbi to do press-ups after a failed uniform inspection. To graduate successfully from Extreme School, the kids must stick to all school rules, follow the strict uniform policy, show improvement in their behaviour and pass a big final challenge. On top of all that they face a packed school timetable which pushes them to the limit both physically and mentally. For their final challenge they must rely on each other and work together to perform a complicated military drill in front of the whole school. Will old habits die hard or will they finally put aside their differences?
Two Year 9 girls from Newcastle with a bad attitude to education sign up for a stint at St Joseph's Convent in St Lucia to see if they can change their ways. The girls' total lack of interest in school shocks the tough-talking principal Sister Rufina and they soon realise that they may have finally met their match. Facing strict uniform rules and a ban on make-up, they realise that life at the convent is very different to school in Newcastle. The girls struggle to see the point of learning good manners and etiquette, which is a must for every convent girl. But they do take on the convent school's community spirit, helping out at an underprivileged school and an afternoon at the preschool, where the children are a law unto themselves. Will it give the girls a taste of their own medicine? Despite being bright, the girls have ambitions to work in a factory so they can muck about with their mates. Will work experience at a banana plantation give them a wake-up call? Their final challenge is to perform with a group of kids from the underprivileged school, at a charity concert in front of an audience of over 700 people, but will they win over the guest of honour, her excellency the governor general of St Lucia, and do enough to graduate from Extreme School?
Charlie and Aidan, two Bristol boys who have a bad attitude to school, enrol at the Bishop's Boys School in Pune, India. Charlie thinks he knows better than his teachers, while Aidan can't see the point of education at all, so how will they fare at one of the best schools in Pune, where students are passionate about education? Lessons haven't even started before serial rule-breaker Charlie is temporarily suspended for refusing to wear the uniform. So while Aidan takes his place alone in morning assembly, Charlie is left to decide if he wants to throw away his chance of graduating from Extreme School. It's Aidan who eventually persuades him to toe the line, but it's not long before both boys are in trouble. The school principal decides a taste of their own medicine could be just what Charlie and Aidan need. For their end-of-week challenge, they must teach one of the school's liveliest and busiest junior classes with 54 pupils. As the week draws on the boys start to enjoy some of the traditional Indian lessons and get a reality check when they visit the city centre and see how poverty affects less fortunate children. But will they prove they have changed enough to graduate from Extreme School and will they survive their own teaching experience?
Two year 8 pupils from Swansea who are lazy in lessons, rarely do their homework and talk back to teachers sign up for a week at one of South Korea's most prestigious schools - Daewan International Middle School in Seoul. At this school, the pupils study 13 hours a day, bow to their teachers and never muck about in lessons. It's a total culture shock for the Swansea lads Brandon and Shane. Will their first lesson - English - make them feel at home? When they get two of the lowest scores in their first test, Brandon is determined to buck his ideas up, but the Korean work ethic isn't yet rubbing off on Shane. Will traditional Korean lessons of Kumdo and K-pop encourage him to change his view on education? At the end of the week, the boys must represent their country with a presentation about Wales. Brandon takes on the challenge, but Shane is still unwilling to put in the effort. Leading a group of younger pupils up the majestic Yong Ma mountain before undertaking a stint at one of the country's best gaming companies fires up Shane's enthusiasm and finally sees the boys working well together, but will it be too little too late?